How to Use Survey Forms at a Trade Show

Susan express If you are demonstrating your product or service at a tradeshow, if you are going through the trouble of renting a booth and making sure that you are physically present at the show, you want to make sure that you have the desired effect. Now some business owners might only look at possible leads to find out if the tradeshow was a success, but it is a far better idea to also ask for feedback from your actual visitors. That way, you can be sure that you are addressing any possible flaws in your tradeshow display.

Why you should care about customer feedback as you are in the full swing of the show, you are going to realize whether people are drawn to your stand or not. However, this is a limited scope and you have plenty of other things to worry about at that time. By having people complete customer feedback surveys, you can find out more about what worked, and what might need some alterations. Give them a reason to complete the survey most people at a tradeshow are busy.

They are not going to want to take time out of their schedule to help you get better – unless you give them a reason to do so. Let people enter into a drawing or a raffle if they complete your survey, give them a small present that they can take with them. In short, give people a reason to want to complete your survey for you. What should you ask? Getting people interested in your survey is one thing – but now you have to make sure to include questions that will help you get better.

Some potential survey questions include the following: How did you first hear about our business? How would you rate our presence at the tradeshow? Have you used our services/products before? What do you feel the overall tradeshow experience was like? Why did you attend the show in the first place? What was the goal/purpose? Do you read/are you subscribed to trade publications? Are you a member of any societies or associations? Can we add you to our email list? Have you attended tradeshows before? If so, which did you attend? It is important to alter your questions depending on whether you are surveying BEFORE or AFTER the show.

Whereas pre-show questions deal with expectations, post-show questions have to deal with overall customer satisfaction. Ultimately, you want to take that information and see if you can use it somehow to improve your experience the next time. This does not mean that every survey is going to give you a groundbreaking idea (some might simply say, “Serve more hamburgers” as a joke), but it is always positive to learn from your audience.